Operation Rah-e-Nijat (South Waziristan)

[fatman17]

Pakistan Security Brief - June 8, 2010


Agreement reached between government and Taliban in North Waziristan; hundreds gather to watch public execution in North Waziristan of man convicted by Taliban court; 15 militants and 1 solider killed in Orakzai Agency on Monday; Punjab government accused of downplaying militant threat in order to retain its voting bloc; Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani acknowledges trust gap between Baloch people and federal government; Lal Masjid commandos seek Supreme Court intervention; U.S. Special Envoy Richard Holbrook’s Pakistan visit cancelled.

North Waziristan

The government and Hafiz Gul Bahadur-led Taliban reached an agreement on Monday in which 20 detained militants were released in exchange for allowing a security forces convoy, stranded in North Waziristan for 45 days, to proceed. The accord signals the lowering of tensions in the agency since an incident forty-five days ago in which eight soldiers were killed and several others were wounded when militants attacked an army convoy near Hamzoni village, 25 kilometers west of Miramshah. The government responded by imposing a curfew on the Miramshah-Dattakhel road and launching a crackdown on the Hamzoni tribe.[1]

Several hundred people gathered to watch the execution of a man found guilty by a Taliban court of double murder in North Waziristan on Tuesday. The Taliban brought the man, blindfolded and with his hands tied, to a soccer field in Miramshah, the central town of North Waziristan. “We asked the relatives of the deceased men to forgive, but they refused and under Islamic law it was decided that the convict be shot by them,” an unidentified militant told AFP. Local administration and intelligence officials confirmed the execution had taken place.[2]

Orakzai operation

Fifteen militants and a soldier were killed on Monday when a militant group affiliated with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan staged simultaneous attacks on security checkpoints in upper Tehsil of Orakzai Agency. According to sources, the two sides exchanged fire for over two hours. Meanwhile, security forces attacked suspected militant hideouts with heavy artillery in Mamozai, Khadezai and Manropaty areas.[3]

Punjab

The ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), experts on militancy, and much of Pakistan’s media say that the Punjab government, led by Pakistan’s Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), is denying the need for an offensive against militant groups in Punjab in order to retain the groups’ electoral support. PML-N, which is in political opposition nationally, has often denounced attacks originating in the tribal areas, but has yet to denounce similar attacks carried out by groups operating in Punjab. “I think there's definitely a very mundane desire by the Sharifs to keep these groups on board so they can use their vote banks in elections,” said Ahmed Rashid, an expert on militancy.[4]

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

so where are the religious parties, condemning these thugs for carrying drugs around?

they seem to be silent when is most convenient

 

[Xeric]

i think Police in the Provinces should pull up their socks now. Terrorist either fleeing from the tribal areas or just leaving the area to fight the Army on another day (probably after being injured) are bound to find refuge in the other provinces. As the Army cant be everywhere and also the local law enforcement is Police's job, the Police and intelligence agencies should buckle up and work out some special strategy to counter this ingress, or else soon we would find another ops area somewhere in mainland Pakistan.

They can start from instructing hospitals, medical stores, private clinics etc to report any suspicious persons, especially those being wounded. They should also try raising the awareness level inside the towns so that any suspicious activity is promptly reported to authorities in time, otherwise we have seen these terrorists executing their tasks just under our nose and the neighbors would then come on TV and tell us, Ji wo kuch mashkook say log thay yeh, ji....

 

[fatman17]

i think Police in the Provinces should pull up their socks now. Terrorist either fleeing from the tribal areas or just leaving the area to fight the Army on another day (probably after being injured) are bound to find refuge in the other provinces. As the Army cant be everywhere and also the local law enforcement is Police's job, the Police and intelligence agencies should buckle up and work out some special strategy to counter this ingress, or else soon we would find another ops area somewhere in mainland Pakistan.

They can start from instructing hospitals, medical stores, private clinics etc to report any suspicious persons, especially those being wounded. They should also try raising the awareness level inside the towns so that any suspicious activity is promptly reported to authorities in time, otherwise we have seen these terrorists executing their tasks just under our nose and the neighbors would then come on TV and tell us, Ji wo kuch mashkook say log thay yeh, ji....

jaded by the colour of money!!!

 

[fatman17]

Pakistan Security Brief - June 11, 2010

U.S. drone strikes in North Waziristan; intelligence agencies find direct links between militants and criminals in Punjab; militants surrender to security forces in Bajaur Agency; U.S. and Pakistani defense officials met in Rawalpindi; six killed in Lyari gang related violence; Australian research center says Pakistan is 5th most dangerous country.

North Waziristan

U.S. drones killed at least 18 militants in two separate strikes on militant hideouts in North Waziristan. Pakistani officials in Miramshah said that 11 militants were killed in Bahadar Khel on Friday and 3 in Khaddi on Thursday. Both towns are known to be strongholds of Taliban groups loyal to Hafiz Gul Bahadur and Maulvi Sadiq Noor, officials said. The identities of the dead, their affiliations, and whether there were any high value targets remain unclear.[1]

Punjab

Intelligence agencies forwarded information to authorities that militants in Punjab, especially in Lahore, have direct links with local criminal networks, sources told the local Daily Times newspaper on Thursday. The information claims that terrorists are aiding criminals in kidnappings for ransom and robberies in order to fund future attacks. The intelligence report cites an incident in August 2008 in which militants attacked a Lahore police officer who refused to release two criminals arrested for robbery. In response to this information, police started compiling a database of criminals in the province.[2]

Bajaur Agency

At least 64 militants, including five commanders, surrendered to security forces and denounced militancy during a meeting of Mamund tribesman in Bajaur Agency on Thursday. The militants vowed to live peacefully in the area and support the government. Meanwhile, security forces seized a large cache of weapons found during a search operation in Bajaur Agency. The weapons seized during the operation reportedly included 135 AK-47 assault rifles, 55 rocket launchers, 34 rockets, 40 artillery shells, 13 missiles, 25 remote controlled bombs, and 27 mortar shells.[3]

Pak-U.S. relations

Pakistani and U.S. defense officials held a series of meetings from June 7 to 10 at Pakistan’s Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi to review defense cooperation and discuss the integration of security and defense capabilities. These meetings are part of the multi-year strategic dialogue process between the two countries. The U.S. delegation, co-chaired by David Ochmanek, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Development, and David Sedney, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia, praised Pakistan’s efforts to in combating militant groups.[4]

 

[Javed3]

"" Pakistani and U.S. defense officials held a series of meetings from June 7 to 10 at Pakistan’s Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi to review defense cooperation and discuss the integration of security and defense capabilities.""

These meetings are part of "Do More, Kill More" doctrine followed by our Military leadership under the ridiculous assumption that we are some sort of genuine allies of the US!. In fact we are the Abdulla Deewanah's in a Begani Shaadi; destroying our country and the very notion of national cohesion.

 

[air marshal]

North Waziristan operation to be "selective"
Sunday, 13 Jun, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is buying time in North Waziristan - gathering intelligence, building alliances and insisting any assault into the Taliban and Al-Qaeda fortress take place at its own time and choosing.

Part of the tribal belt on the Afghan border, North Waziristan is home to 350,000 people but considered a stronghold for the most dangerous militants in the world and largely impenetrable.

It is also a rumoured hiding place of Osama bin Laden.

Commanders are walking a tightrope, balancing US pressure for action against fears that a major push into the hornet's nest would make enemies they cannot beat and drag Pakistan into a new wave of violence.

“The army is already over-stretched after carrying out offensives in other tribal regions,” one Pakistani security official told AFP.

“Security forces got in touch with local tribesmen in a policy of dialogue and asked them not to harbour any insurgents, and this policy has worked,” he said.

As well as the bin Laden connection, North Waziristan's mountains are also a refuge for Pakistani Tehreek-e-Taliban who escaped an offensive in neighbouring South Waziristan and networks fighting US forces in Afghanistan.

Among those using bases in North Waziristan are the Haqqani network, created by Afghan warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani and run by his son Sirajuddin; Afghan Taliban; Pakistani warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur and his ally Maulvi Sadiq Noor.

They are blamed by the United States for fuelling the nearly nine-year insurgency in Afghanistan, for attacking the 142,000 US-led Nato troops there and for working to destabilise the Western-backed government in Kabul.

But they are also men whom the Pakistani security establishment believes pose no direct risk to the homeland because their activities are targeted across the border, while homegrown Taliban pose a more immediate threat.

“There are problems in North Waziristan where Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has established a presence,” another senior security official told AFP. “The issue is how to handle these problems.”

"Security forces don't want to lose the gains made in South Waziristan and northwestern regions, including Swat,” he said, warning that any hasty relocation of troops could lead to a deterioration in those areas.

Opening a new front against the likes of Haqqani and Gul Bahadur would, Pakistani officials believe, make enemies out of well-trained, well-financed groups that are potentially valuable allies when US troops leave Afghanistan.

Given the risks involved and strain on Pakistani troops, with forces actively engaged in six of the seven tribal districts, analysts say fears of a backlash, including attacks on civilians, are holding the army back.

“Fears of a fierce reaction by Punjab-based militants, because of their links with Tehreek-e-Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, the Haqqani and Bahadur networks might be one reason holding the army back,” analyst Imtiaz Gul said.

Last year saw a huge surge in attacks in retaliation for military offensives in Swat and South Waziristan, followed this year by a relative decline.

Instead of a major assault, Gul said a North Waziristan operation would be “selective” - at a time and on a scale of the military's choosing.

For example, troops may try and “shrink the space” for local facilitators of Al-Qaeda, such as Tehreek-e-Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

Around 140,000 troops are deployed along the western border, leaving 100,000 in the east, where Pakistan meets India, and commanders are wary of leaving that frontier more exposed.

“The army and paramilitary are busy in at least four tribal regions and have not been able to withdraw fully from Swat and Malakand,” said defence analyst Hasan Askari.

“It seems that the army would ultimately take specifically targeted action there, but at a time of its choosing,” he said.

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | North Waziristan operation to be "selective"

 

[Janbaz]

When the raid on Shaktoi? Before or after North Waziristan?

 

[Javed3]

""US calls for Pakistan action against Haqqani network
WASHINGTON: The United States has presented evidence to Pakistan that a militant faction aligned with the Taliban and based in Pakistan orchestrated brazen attacks last month in Afghanistan, a top general said on Wednesday.""

Now or forces have to respond to the call of duty and make valiant sacrifices to prove their loyalty and efficiency.

 

[fatman17]

Pakistan Security Brief - June 18, 2010


Pakistan brokering peace deal between Haqqanis and Karzai government; Punjab government gives nearly $1 million in funding to facilities owned by group blacklisted for terror links; Punjab Governor Salman Taseer says Punjabi Taliban are a reality; Afghanistan expected to hand back 14 captured Frontier Corps soldiers; US Special Representative Holbrooke arrives in Islamabad for two-day visit; Shahzad indicted by federal grand jury on charges of terrorism, found to have received $12,000 from Pakistani Taliban; US officials meet with “bin Laden hunter” Gary Brooks Faulkner, Pakistani authorities expected to release him soon; Pakistani Defense Secretary says delays in funding for military forces could threaten operations against extremist groups; General Tariq Majid says Pakistan compelled to maintain nuclear arsenal, world must accept it as a nuclear power; India hands over dossier on Mumbai attacks; policeman shot to death in Balochistan; doctor, ranger gunned down in separate shooting incidents in Karachi.


Pakistan mediating peace deal

Pakistan has begun efforts to broker a peace deal between the Haqqani network and the government of Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan. Although it is still early in the mediation process, a Pakistani security official said that “the initial signs are encouraging because the leadership of the militant group appears to be willing” to talk. Islamabad’s decision to facilitate a peace agreement is believed to be an alternative response to US pressure for a military operation against the Haqqanis in North Waziristan.[1]

Punjab

The Punjab provincial government has given nearly $1 million in funding for schools, a mosque, and health facilities in Lahore belonging to Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a charity which is also considered to be the front for Lashkar-e-Taiba. Jamaat-ud-Dawa was also blacklisted by the UN in December 2008 for having suspected ties to terrorist groups. A spokesman for Punjab’s chief minister denied that the government showed any sympathies towards the group and defended the funding by saying that the facilities were now under government control, adding that closing the facilities would have been “detrimental” to the public and “might have given a boost to Hafiz Saeed”, the leader of Jamaat-ud-Dawa. A Jamaat-ud-Dawa spokesman denied that his organization had received any funding from the Punjab government and confirmed that “the government has already taken control of these institutions.”[2]

In an interview with BBC Urdu today, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer stated that the Punjabi Taliban are a reality within the province but the government of Punjab is not yet ready to acknowledge their presence. During the interview Taseer also responded to a question about his active role when compared with other provincial governors by saying that he “wants to strengthen the government and not do a shameful job like pervious governors.”[3]


Captured soldiers

Afghan security forces are expected to hand over 14 captured Frontier Corps soldiers to Pakistani authorities in Jalalabad today. The soldiers were seized when they accidentally crossed over the Afghan border following a militant attack on a security checkpost in Mohmand Agency on Monday. Pakistani security officials have said that 39 soldiers are still missing after the assault.[4]


Holbrooke arrives

Richard Holbrooke, US Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, has arrived in Islamabad for a two-day visit in which he will hold meetings with several top Pakistani officials, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. A wide range of bilateral issues are due to be discussed and Pakistan is expected to give advice to the US on how to achieve stability in Afghanistan and the region as a whole.[5]


Times Square bombing trial

On Thursday, Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani-born American behind the May 1 attempted car bombing in New York’s Times Square, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of terrorism. US Attorney Preet Bharara said that the 10-count indictment charges Shahzad with “conspiring with the Pakistani Taliban to wreak death and destruction in Times Square.” Additionally, the indictment also found that the Pakistani Taliban provided Shahzad with $12,000 in funding between separate payments of $5,000 in Massachusetts in February and an additional $7,000 in New York in April.[6]

Bin Laden hunter

Three US embassy officials were confirmed to have met with Gary Brooks Faulkner in Islamabad on Thursday. Faulkner was detained in northwest Pakistan on Monday while on a self-proclaimed mission to hunt down Osama Bin Laden. Today, a Pakistani official indicated that Faulkner “will be released if nothing substantive is found against him after the interrogation”.[7]

Military funding

In an address to the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly on Thursday, Defense Secretary Lt. Gen. Syed Athar Ali warned that delays in funding for military forces operating in the tribal areas could threaten Pakistan’s ongoing war efforts against Islamic militants. Ali also claimed that he informed US Defense Secretary Robert Gates that “in the absence of necessary support” from the Coalition Support Fund “we won’t be able to maintain high level of cooperation.” Auditor General Tanvir Ali Agha responded to Ali’s statements by telling him that Pakistan would not be able to meet the budgetary needs of every government organ and that “you people have to readjust your priorities according to the funding available.”[8]

Nuclear program

General Tariq Majid, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, said on Thursday that “it is Pakistan’s compulsion, not a matter of choice” for the country to maintain its nuclear arsenal, adding that the world needs to accept Pakistan as a nuclear power. Majid cited the “blatant pursuit of military preponderance in our neighborhood” as justification for possessing nuclear capabilities. He further added that security of its nuclear weapons is a “non-issue” and that Pakistan was “shouldering our responsibility with utmost vigilance and confidence” by putting in place a “very robust regime that includes multilayered mechanisms and processes to secure our strategic assets” and providing “maximum transparency” in its practices.[9]

 

[Javed3]

""In an interview with BBC Urdu today, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer stated that the Punjabi Taliban are a reality within the province but the government of Punjab is not yet ready to acknowledge their presence. During the interview Taseer also responded to a question about his active role when compared with other provincial governors by saying that he “wants to strengthen the government and not do a shameful job like pervious governors.”[3]""

Yes Mr. Salman Taseer is a sort of "hero" and a great example of patriotism; as can be testified by Indian journalist Tavleen Singh and his son Aatish Taseer.

 

[Janbaz]

18 militants, two soldiers killed in Pakistan

At least two soldiers and 18 Taliban militants were killed Sunday in various clashes, but also in an accidental blast, across three districts of Pakistan's restive northwest, security officials said.

Around a dozen Taliban rebels attacked a military checkpoint in the tribal district of South Waziristan with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, killing one soldier and injuring two more.


An intelligence official said the troops repulsed the attack 'successfully' and killed one of the 'terrorists' and wounded four more. 'Some other attackers managed to flee,' said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.


Thousands of Pakistani troops moved into the Taliban's stronghold of South Waziristan in mid-October. Months of fighting left more than 600 rebels and 27 soldiers dead.


Hundreds more militants are believed to have fled to the neighbouring tribal district of Orakzai, where government forces have launched a separate operation to take control of the lawless region.


A senior official with the paramilitary Frontier Corps force, which is spearheading the assault on Islamist insurgents in the northwest, said that helicopter gunships targeted four dens of militants in Orakzai Sunday.


'All the engaged targets were destroyed and our local informants told us that at least 13 militants died and around a dozen were wounded,' said the official, who requested not to be named.


Separately, four militants, including a commander, died Sunday when ordnance exploded accidentally in a Taliban ammunition depot in the district. Five more were injured in the blast.
Meanwhile, a group of insurgents raided a paramilitary training camp, killing one recruit and injuring three more.


The attack took place in Lower Dir, one of the eight districts in Malakand region where Pakistani troops fought a severe battle against the Taliban last year before expelling them from the region.


'The FC trainees were staying in tents in a local college. The attackers arrived there and opened fire with rifles,' said local police officer Naik Mohammad.


Pakistan has deployed around 150,000 troops to quell the rising Islamist insurgency in northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and the adjoining tribal region.

18 militants, two soldiers killed in Pakistan

 

[Marwat Khan Lodhi]

I have many wazir and mehsud friends, all are extreme anti-pakistanis. Their families and clans have suffered from both talibans and military operations. I would say Pakistan has lost this territory.
Pakistan has used these tribals as cannon fodders at many places, iss liye ye wakt tu aana hi ta.

 

[TaimiKhan]

I have many wazir and mehsud friends, all are extreme anti-pakistanis. Their families and clans have suffered from both talibans and military operations. I would say Pakistan has lost this territory.
Pakistan has used these tribals as cannon fodders at many places, iss liye ye wakt tu aana hi ta.

Well the wazir & mehsud tribes have not suffered as much as the people of Pakistan have suffered at the hands of militants they support and live among themselves. So once you start supporting militants, killers, kidnappers, butchers, scum of the earth, then its a natural law to suffer with these scums. If the locals had stood up and not let these militants take over their areas, things would have been different.

And i live also among wazirs and mehsuds, but what you have told are the minority, the majority have some other views. The same wazir people living there are the ones who point out the militants locations and then drone strikes are called up on them, who else do you think provides the human intel from the ground, these same people living with the militants, reason being they are now fed up and are fully cooperating with the military and when a drone strike happens and militants gets killed, the locals become happy and say the right people were hit, and thus they provide more and more intel.

I have seen these same wazir & mehsud people coming up to army medical centers and getting themselves treated, if they are so much anti-Pakistan, then they should have gone to those militants and ask for help instead of coming to army and govt guys and getting medical treatment as well as financial support.

 

[Marwat Khan Lodhi]

Well the wazir & mehsud tribes have not suffered as much as the people of Pakistan have suffered at the hands of militants they support and live among themselves. So once you start supporting militants, killers, kidnappers, butchers, scum of the earth, then its a natural law to suffer with these scums. If the locals had stood up and not let these militants take over their areas, things would have been different.

And i live also among wazirs and mehsuds, but what you have told are the minority, the majority have some other views. The same wazir people living there are the ones who point out the militants locations and then drone strikes are called up on them, who else do you think provides the human intel from the ground, these same people living with the militants, reason being they are now fed up and are fully cooperating with the military and when a drone strike happens and militants gets killed, the locals become happy and say the right people were hit, and thus they provide more and more intel.

I have seen these same wazir & mehsud people coming up to army medical centers and getting themselves treated, if they are so much anti-Pakistan, then they should have gone to those militants and ask for help instead of coming to army and govt guys and getting medical treatment as well as financial support.

They would have stood against talibans if they had the power to do so. We have played a game with these tribals who were once loyal pakistanis. We make FATA a base for training of mujaheedins against soviets. Then we introduced talibans into afghanistan and praised them. then suddenly we turned against our taliabns after 9/11..............it was hard for tribals to understand the abrupt change in attitude of pakistan towards taliabans and mujahideens......we didnt give them enough time to recover from the trauma of invasion on afghanistan and suddenly ordered them to hand over the mujahids who were settled there since two decades......They refused to give their guests according to pakhtunwali.......As we were pre-occupied with dollars so we did'nt hesitate to go agianst our own people and in hurry (and according to orders of uncle sam) we launced military operations against these people..